the_last_balfourfandomcom-20200213-history
Iona Balfour
Iona Balfour is a 14 year old girl with long auburn hair and light green eyes. Her life is turned upside down when her aunt Grizel tells her to find the family bloodstone and travel to take it to the guild of green lions just before she is hung and burnt for being a witch. She stays another day in her home town before people with torches come to burn down the house. Her sister Ishbel tells her to flee and she does leaving her sister to die. Her old friend Dalziel, who has betrayed her by telling the king of Grizel convinces her to let him help her travel. But when they reach the river she realises he has betrayed her once again and lead her straight into the hands of the witch hunter Finster. She also sees a ghost women with a white cloth by the river, to cross she must help her wash it but this is also a sure sign that Ishbel is dead. She crys out that she will help her and the women lets her cross. She runs into the forest and tries to survive. But soon she is cold and hungry. She finds a cabin in the woods and knocks on the door asking for shelter. She is let in by and man and boy who give her food and shelter in return for a few chores. Iona agrees but has an uneasy feeling about the man. She is warned by the boy to leave but instead falls asleep at the fire, when she wakes the Bloodstone is gone. The man says he hasnt an idea where it has gone, so Iona is forced to stay there and look for it everyday. One day the man and his son put on a performance for her, but they turn into real wolves and Iona discovers they are skin turners, people with the ability to transform into any animal. Iona manages to keep the man outside whilst she fights off the boy at first with magic then a staff in which she finds the Bloodstone. When the boy has turned back he takes sides with her and they travel to Edinburhg, the place where she is going, and the boy (Cal) tells her of his life. They are almost caught by the man at one point but manage to get away. They are met by an old man who offers them shelter and food, they accept seeing as they'd die out in the cold but once again Iona can tell something is wrong. They discover the old man lives in the black castle, a castle that was burnt down with the people inside it many years ago. He takes them to a room and gives them food and ale. The ale is poisoned and both Iona and Cal pass out, when they awake Cal is tied to a table and Iona to a chair. Before the old man (Creelman) had told them the tale of how they burnt down the castle due to plaque. His wife had been in there still alive and he still mourned for her to this day. Now Iona realises he is going to use Dark magic to bring his wife back to life, and Cal will be the sacrifice. Iona uses magic as the dark spell is happening and saves them, her and Cal flee the castle and continue onwards. Cal tells her he has family in a nearby villiage, at first Iona refuses remembering Grizel's words to stay away from the villiages but Cal persuades her. But when they reach the villiage a white flag is hanging on the gate, i sign there is sickness plaquing the villiage and no one is allowed in nor out. Cal takes her through a secret entrance where Cal goes to find his family, Iona sees Dalziel and he takes he inside his house. Soon after she can hear Cal calling for her saying he is back, Iona calls him in and there is fighting between Iona and Dalziel. Eventually Iona sleeps and when she wakes Dalziel is gone. She finds Cal's family and finds out Cal has told them that she will heal their daughter, Iona says she cannot and leaves the villiage saying goodbye to Cal but changes her mind and returns back. Then her, Cal, and Cal's relative perform the need fire, a spell which cures the villiage. Then Iona, due to her use of magic, sleeps for days but is shooken awake on the third by Cal saying that Finster is here. They try to flee only to be caught. Iona, Cal and Euan (the relative) are taken to a prison where Iona spends many days with little sleep, food, or water. more to be written